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Trump commits to NATO summit appearance – CNN

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Trump, who was outspoken on the campaign trail about the role -- and upkeep -- of the security pact, spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Sunday night.

During the call, the two leaders "reconfirmed the importance of the Alliance in troubled times," according to a statement from NATO.

Trump and Stoltenberg specifically discussed NATO allies meeting their defense spending commitments, the role of the organization in defeating terror, and the potential for a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict.

"The Secretary General recalled NATO's consistent policy of strong defense and dialogue with Russia," the statement reads. "The Secretary General and President Trump looked forward to the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels in late May to discuss these issues."

The White House confirmed that Trump would attend the summit.

Last month, in a joint interview with the Times of London and the German publication Bild, Trump accused the organization, which was founded in 1949 as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism, of being "obsolete."

In the interview, which took place prior to his inauguration, Trump restated his campaign-trail doubts about the transatlantic alliance.

"I said a long time ago that NATO had problems," he said.

"Number one, it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago.

"Number two, the countries weren't paying what they're supposed to be paying," adding that this was unfair to the United States.

Only five of NATO's 28 members -- the US, Greece, Poland, Estonia and the UK -- meet the alliance's target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense.

At a press briefing following the calls, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked about the disconnect between Mattis' comments and his boss'.

"The President is very clear that as it's structured now, in terms of the output of NATO, he doesn't feel as though it's doing what its mission was set up to do or that it's being particularly effective," Spicer said at the time.

Sunday's call came after EU leaders met in Malta last week, where they denounced the incoming President's recent attacks on Europe as they met for a summit to debate the future of the union.

EU leaders have been rattled by Trump's comments on Europe and the NATO transatlantic alliance. Along with calling the alliance "obselete," he has voiced his support for Britain's departure from the EU and criticized European refugee policies.

French President Francois Hollande hit out at Trump as Hollande arrived at the informal summit on the future of the EU in Malta.

"There are threats, there are challenges," he said. "What is at stake is the very future of the European Union."

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Trump commits to NATO summit appearance - CNN

Trump salutes NATO with vow of strong support – CNN

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Trump has offered varying stances on NATO during his campaign and presidency, calling the membership obsolete and ill-prepared to confront modern-day threats. His remarks Monday signaled he would maintain US backing for the partnership while continuing to press other countries to meet its budget requirements.

"We strongly support NATO," Trump said at the headquarters of US Central Command in Florida. "We only ask that all of the NATO members make their full and proper financial contributions to the NATO alliance, which many of them have not been doing. Many of them have not been even close. And they have to do that."

NATO expects its members to commit to spending 2% of their gross domestic products on defense. Only five of the 28 countries that belong to NATO have met that goal.

Trump has long criticized the shortfalls, suggesting the US was subsidizing other nations' security at the expense of its own. But since taking office, he's avoided the harsh rhetoric he used on the campaign trail questioning the alliance's relevance.

On Sunday, Trump spoke by phone to NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg from his Florida estate. In the conversation, the White House said the President discussed the United States' "strong support" for the group, while also covering "how to encourage all NATO allies to meet their defense spending commitments."

Trump's defense secretary, James Mattis, has spoken favorably of NATO as well.

In his remarks at MacDill Air Force Base on Monday, Trump painted a dark picture of global security, warning against terrorist attacks and committing to provide ample resources to American forces.

"We're going to be loading it up with beautiful new planes, and beautiful new equipment," Trump said of the military installation, which also houses the US Special Operations Command. "You've been lacking a little equipment. We're going to load it up. You're going to get a lot of equipment. Believe me."

"Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland as they did on 9/11, as they did from Boston to Orlando to San Bernardino and all across Europe," Trump told enlisted servicemen and women on the base.

He also suggested that the media was downplaying terror threats.

"All over Europe, it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported. And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that," Trump said, without explaining his allegation.

White House spokespeople didn't immediately provide examples or an explanation for Trump's remarks.

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Trump salutes NATO with vow of strong support - CNN

Flynn to recommend Trump back NATO membership for Montenegro – Politico

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Michael Flynn "is expected to recommend Montenegro's accession into NATO to Trump in the coming days," a senior administration said. | Getty

White House national security adviser Michael Flynn will recommend that President Donald Trump support allowing the small Balkan nation of Montenegro to join NATO, POLITICO has learned despite strong opposition from Russia.

The move will be a major test of the new administration's policy toward Moscow, which considers any further eastward expansion of the Western military alliance a provocation.

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Other NATO countries and the U.S. Senate widely support granting membership to the nation of 650,000 people, which once was part of the former Yugoslavia. Montenegro's leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of fomenting instability inside the country to erode support for joining the alliance including alleged plots by pro-Russian movements last year to attack the parliament and assassinate the prime minister.

But Flynn, one of Trump's key advisers, "is expected to recommend Montenegro's accession into NATO to Trump in the coming days," a senior administration official said Monday in response to questions.

Trump, who criticized NATO as outdated during the campaign, has praised Putin and vowed to improve relations between Washington and Moscow. Now Montenegro will have an outsize role in revealing how much he is willing to back up the Cold War-era alliance at the expense of his budding relationship with the Russian leader.

What Russia has done against Montenegro is a unique case, said Jorge Benitez, a senior fellow and NATO expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank that supports the expansion. "No NATO candidate country has ever faced such a dire attack or threat in the process of finishing its membership into the alliance.

Trump could block the bid under NATO's rules, which require unanimous support from all members. Some supporters of Montenegro's application fear he will oppose extending NATO's defense guarantee to yet another small European country.

We've defended other nations' borders, while refusing to defend our own, Trump said in his inauguration speech. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first.

But in recent days his administration has taken steps that seem to demonstrate that advisers who push a stronger commitment to NATO and a tougher line against Moscow are having an influence.

Nikki Haley, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, announced last week that the United States would not lift sanctions against Russia over its 2014 invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for a referendum on NATO membership, if Russia refuses to pull its forces out of the Crimea peninsula.

Montenegro, which broke away from a state union with Serbia to become independent in 2006, would become the third NATO member in the Western Balkans, behind Croatia and Albania, which both joined in 2009.

Twenty-three of 28 governments in the alliance have voted in favor of its bid and only the United States, Canada, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have yet to weigh in. If all NATO members approve Montenegro's membership it will be up to Montenegro's own parliament to ratify the accord.

NATO accession is a highly controversial issue in Montenegro. An opinion poll conducted in December 2016 has only 39.5 percent of Montenegrins in favor of NATO membership and 39.7 against. Other opinion polls have suggested similar margins.

Russia has long seen the region as a sphere of influence and has sought to prevent it from falling under the sway of Western powers. Russia has been accused of bankrolling anti-NATO and anti-European Union political voices throughout the region, including Montenegros Democratic Front, a stridently anti-NATO party that won 20 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections last fall.

The party accuses the Montenegrin government of using the NATO issue in order to distract from systemic governmental corruption.

In turn, Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovi has accused the Democratic Front of being a Russian proxy. A flood of Kremlin cash went not only to DF and its campaign, but also to media outlets and NGOs that ardently opposed NATO membership, Darmanovi wrote in an article for the Journal of Democracy last month.

In October, Montenegros special prosecutor announced that 20 members of a Russian nationalist terrorist cell had been arrested on charges of trying to destabilize the country. Exactly what happened is not yet clear, but the apprehended suspects told Montenegrin authorities about an alleged plot to seize the country's parliament building and assassinate Prime Minister Milo ukanovi.

Neboja Kaluerovi, Montenegro's ambassador to the United States, is adamant that the nation's preparations over the last seven years for NATO eligibility have transformed the country into a strong Western ally.

It helped bring about our institutions. It helped bring about our democracy. It helps bring stability and security to the whole region, he said in an interview.

Wide majorities of both parties in the U.S. Senate whose treaty authority would require its assent agree.

Senators on both sides of the aisle see Montenegro's bid as a test of resolve against the increasingly belligerent behavior by Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies have also accused of trying to influence U.S. presidential election by hacking and leaking the emails of Democratic officials and supporters of Hillary Clinton.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of the treaty with Montenegro on Jan. 11. The panel's chairman, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), predicts at least 98 senators will vote in favor.

Were trying to figure out how to make it happen," Corker told POLITICO. "It will pass 98-2 or 99-1, but getting it on the floor right now is difficult.

Russia hawks like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) worry a great deal that Russia will try to destabilize Montenegro before it becomes a full NATO member and has become one of the loudest voices pushing for a full Senate vote as soon as possible.

"Were doing everything we can to get that up, I promise you. he said.

I want to send a clear signal to our friends in Montenegro and to the Russians about how we feel, so I hope we can vote quickly, added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The sooner the better.

Because adding a nation to NATO is a treaty measure, support from two-thirds of senators is required to secure passage. But the Constitution delegates the power to negotiate treaties to the president and Trump could refuse to relay the ratification to NATO, indefinitely stalling the process.

Advocates for delay include Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has raised concerns about the United States committing to defend another country in which Russia has a strong interest. He blocked a Senate attempt to vote on the treaty in December.

I think that many are referring to this as a provocation to Russia, and also, I think NATO is too big already," Paul told POLITICO. "I think we should think long and hard if whether or not we are willing to go to war if Montenegro has a skirmish with somebody that surrounds them. Ultimately, joining NATO is not necessarily a benign thing.

I think there needs to be a debate about how big NATO needs to be, he added. We pay for basically the defense of the world. If we let Montenegro in, are they going to provide for their defense or are we going to provide for their defense?

Kaluerovi insists the government's desire to join the Western alliance should not be interpreted as a sign of aggression against Russia, but rather a desire to be part of the Western world.

The two pillars of our foreign policy since the day of regaining our independence have been NATO integration and EU integration processes, he said. Simply, we belong to this part of the world.

We are doing that not against anybody, but because we think it is in our favor, he added.

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Flynn to recommend Trump back NATO membership for Montenegro - Politico

Trump Talks Immigration, NATO at MacDill Air Force Base – Fox Business

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

President DonaldTrumpon Monday vowed to allow into the United States people who "want to love our country," defending his immigration and refugee restrictions as he made his first visit to the headquarters Monday for U.S. Central Command.

Trumpreaffirmed his support for NATO before military leaders and troops and laced his speech with references to homeland security amid a court battle over his travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim countries. He did not directly mention the case now before a federal appeals court after a lower court temporarily suspended the ban.

"We need strong programs" so that "people that love us and want to love our country and will end up loving our country are allowed in" and those who "want to destroy us and destroy our country" are kept out,Trumpsaid.

"Freedom, security and justice will prevail,"Trumpadded. "We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism and we will not allow it to take root in our country. We're not going to allow it."

Trumptouched upon various other alliances in his remarks, noting, "we strongly support NATO."

Trump'scomments follow his conversation Sunday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. A White House statement said the two "discussed how to encourage all NATO allies to meet their defense spending commitments," as well as the crisis in Ukraine and security challenges facing NATO countries.

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Trumponce dismissed the trans-Atlantic military alliance as "obsolete," and he would decide whether to protect NATO countries against Russian aggression based on whether those countries "have fulfilled their obligations to us."

Earlier,Trumpsat down for lunch with a room full of troops in fatigues from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as senior members of his White House staff.

Trumpmade small talk with some of the soldiers, discussing everything from football to military careers.

"Gonna make it a career?"Trumpasked one person.

"C'mon, you have to stay," he urged another.

Trumpalso hailed Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, saying he "cemented his place" in football history after his fifth Super Bowl win Sunday.

Trump, who is also commander in chief of the U.S. military, stopped at the base on the way back to Washington after his first weekend away from the White House.Trumpspent the weekend at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, with first lady MelaniaTrump, who had not appeared in public since shortly after her husband took office.

At MacDill, the president is to be briefed by CENTCOM and SOCOM leaders, join troops for lunch and deliver a speech. Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Michael Flynn,Trump'snational security adviser, were expected to attend the meetings.

Trumpmet with Florida Gov. Rick Scott before the flight to Washington.

CENTCOM oversaw a recent raid by U.S. special operations forces on an al-Qaida compound in Yemen, the first military operation authorized byTrump. A Navy SEAL, Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Illinois, was killed, making him the first known U.S. combat casualty underTrump.

Three other U.S. service members were wounded in the operation. More than half a dozen suspected militants and more than a dozen civilians were also killed, including the 8-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric and U.S. citizen who was targeted and killed in 2011 by a U.S. drone strike.

Trumptraveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week to be present when Owens' remains were returned to his family.

During his weekly address last Friday,Trumppaid tribute to Owens as a "brave and selfless patriot."

"We will never forget him. We will never ever forget those who serve. Believe me,"Trumpsaid.Trumpalso talked in the address about his responsibility to keep the American people safe, and mentioned the executive order he signed late last month suspending the U.S. refugee program as well as travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries.

The executive order has been met with challenges in federal court and protests around the country.

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Trump Talks Immigration, NATO at MacDill Air Force Base - Fox Business

US tanks, infantry fighting vehicles arrive in Estonia amid NATO buildup on Russian borders – RT

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

US military hardware, including M1A2 Abrams battle tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, have arrived in the northern Estonian town of Tapa as part of continued US efforts to counter the alleged Russian threat.

More than 50 units of US military equipment, including four battle tanks and 15 infantry fighting vehicles, were delivered to Tapa, the Estonian Defense Forces said in a statement. The personnel of the Charlie Company of 68th Armored Regiment's 1st Battalion from the US Army 4th Infantry Division arrived in the town two days earlier, on January 30.

The company commander, Captain Edward Bachar, said that the US troops would take part in the Estonian Independence Day parade. Earlier, Bachar also said that his company would begin its expert marksmanship training this week.

The unit would replace a paratrooper company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's 503rd Infantry Regiment, which was deployed to Estonia in September. The paratrooper company would then go back to its permanent base in Italy.

"The movement of equipment and troops into and around Europe marks the beginning of a continuous rotation of armored brigade combat teams from the United States as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve," the US Defense Department said in a statement, commenting on the move.

"Atlantic Resolve is a demonstration of continued US commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region in light of the Russian intervention in Ukraine, it added.

The deployment marks a new phase of the Operation Atlantic Resolve, which began in April 2014, following the Crimean referendum to split from coup-stricken Ukraine and join Russia. Atlantic Resolve is perceived by Washington as a demonstration of continued US commitment to the collective security of Europe in the view of alleged Russian assertiveness.

In January, 2,800 pieces of US military hardware, including US Abrams tanks, Paladin artillery, Bradley fighting vehicles and 4,000 troops arrived in Europe as part of the operation. These forces subsequently moved to Poland to participate in military drills in late January, and then were deployed across seven countries, including the Baltic States, Bulgaria, Romania and Germany. A headquarters unit is stationed in Germany.

In July 2016, NATO members agreed to the biggest reinforcement since the Cold War, posting four multinational battalions to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

In addition to American troops going to Poland, NATO members Germany, Canada and Britain are also contributing to the significant NATO forces buildup in Eastern Europe and are sending battalions of up to 1,000 troops each to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Apart from the military buildup on Russian borders, the US and NATO strategy also includes conducting continuous, enhanced multinational training and security cooperation activities with US and NATO partners in eastern Europe. Since the Operation began, these military exercises have been conducted in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

In mid-January, Estonia and Lithuania also signed agreements with the US regulating the status and deployment framework of American soldiers and hardware on the territory of the two Baltics states, which were dubbed first of its kind.

The agreements provided a legal framework for the presence of US military personnel and their family members in the two Baltic States, as well as the use of the local military sites by American troops. They also enable a range of joint defense-related activities.

While NATO members continue to point toward perceived Russian aggression, calling it a source of instability, Russia has consistently denied that it poses any kind of threat. Moscow has also expanded its own military training and increased its strategic capabilities in areas such as Kaliningrad, its western exclave.

Russia also tried to ease tensions by proposing enhanced cooperation with NATO on multiple levels in August. The proposal covered such fields as combatting terrorism and cooperation to avoid incidents at sea and in the air in border areas with NATO countries.

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US tanks, infantry fighting vehicles arrive in Estonia amid NATO buildup on Russian borders - RT

NATO – News: NATO launches training effort in Iraq, 05-Feb.-2017 – NATO HQ (press release)

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

NATO launched a new training programme in Iraq on Sunday (5 February 2017), teaching Iraqi security forces to counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). Around 30 enlisted soldiers are participating in the first five-week course. ''NATO's training and capacity building in Iraq is strengthening the country's ability to fight ISIL and provide for its own security,'' said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

NATO Allies are supplying protective equipment to Iraqi security forces as part of their training. The new counter-IED training scheme will run alongside NATO-run courses in Iraq on civil-military cooperation.Since January 2017, NATO advisers have been working in the country, overseeing training activities and working with the Iraqi authorities to reform their security institutions. NATO has been training Iraqi security forces in several areas, including counter-IED, explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining in neighbouring Jordan. At the Warsaw Summit in July of last year, Allies agreed to expand this training into Iraq itself.

The Secretary General stressed that training Iraqi forces is an important part of NATOs contribution to the fight against terrorism, which includes AWACS surveillance support to the Coalition against ISIL. "The best weapon we have in the fight against terrorism is to train local forces," said Mr. Stoltenberg, adding that "a more effective Iraqi military means a safer Iraq, and a more stable Middle East."

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NATO - News: NATO launches training effort in Iraq, 05-Feb.-2017 - NATO HQ (press release)

Trump Speaks of ‘Strong Support’ for NATO in Call With Leader – Bloomberg

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

President Donald Trump pressedthe North Atlantic Treaty Organizations general secretary on how to encourage member nations to pay more for their defense while expressing strong support from the U.S. for the alliance, according to a readout of the call released by the White House.

During a call on Sunday with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump agreed to join in a meeting of NATO leaders in late May and discussed the potential for a peaceful resolution of the conflict along the Ukranian border, according to the readout.

Photographer: Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images

Intense fighting has taken place between government troops and pro-Russian separatists near Ukraines Russian border during the past week, the latest episode in a crisis that began when Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of NATO, the military alliance forged in 1949 as the cornerstone of the Wests defense, which he has referred to as obsolete.

Hes recently adopted a more conciliatory tone. Trump called the alliance very important in an interview in January, and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Trump was 100 percent behind NATO after their January meeting in Washington.

The U.K. provides the second-largest contribution to NATO, after the U.S. While the alliance agreed since 2014 that its members should spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense, few of its 28 members do, and Trump has demanded that member nations to pay their fair share toward its costs.

NATO was established after World War II to protect western democracies against the Soviet Union. A key tenet is that an attack on any alliance member is considered an attack on all. And thats what Trump has questioned.

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The parties agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation to address the full range of security challenges facing NATO, the readout of the call with Stoltenberg said.

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Trump Speaks of 'Strong Support' for NATO in Call With Leader - Bloomberg

Can Europe still rely on NATO? – CNN

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

There are two broad options: work harder to save the alliance, or turn inward and opt for self-reliance. In practice, we are likely to see elements of both, as different countries hedge their bets in different ways.

Last month, Prime Minister Theresa May declared that Britain and the US are "united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense," while the President nodded alongside her in agreement.

On the other hand, the UK believes that to keep Trump on its side, it will also need to persuade other European nations to contribute more to the alliance in the form of higher defense spending.

Higher defense spending serves two purposes. For some, like Theresa May, it will help to neutralize Trump's charge that allies are merely free riding on American efforts. After all, even those NATO allies most skeptical of the President are not ready to give up on America.

If President Trump himself has been amongst those who would weaken NATO, who is left? One answer is Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired general who served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander of Transformation between 2007 and 2009. Another is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who gave a calm, assured speech on his first day in the office. European states hope that Mattis, Tillerson, and others will prove a moderating influence on President Trump.

However, Europeans also realize that this may not be enough. Mattis and Tillerson can be sacked, and the President has shown a willingness to treat the very closest of allies, like Australia, with open hostility.

Higher defense spending therefore serves a second purpose: it increases Europe's safety net, should the US indeed weaken its commitment to the continent's defense.

That safety net is not very strong. While Europe's collective defense spending is around four times that of Russia, European militaries duplicate a lot of spending, and would be constrained in a crisis by the need for political approval from dozens of different capitals.

One answer to this is more cooperation. But should this cooperation be within NATO, the EU, or something else?

But NATO's Supreme Allied Commander is always an American, and the US continues to provide some of the key supporting capabilities, such as refueling aircraft and airborne radar, without which it would be very hard for even Britain, France, and Germany to act on their own.

Some European powers have therefore pushed for the EU to further develop its own defense institutions.

In September, France and Germany -- backed by Italy and Spain -- proposed a permanent military headquarters to plan and run the bloc's military missions, as well as a medical command, a logistics hub, and common officer training. These plans were later diluted, but it is clear that EU defense policy is receiving more attention in Brussels.

Here, the UK is a wildcard. The UK was once a major advocate of European defense cooperation, signing the landmark Saint-Malo declaration with France in 1998. But it has since grown warier of European defense integration, arguing that these efforts distract from NATO and encourage wasteful duplication.

Given Theresa May's eagerness to prove NATO's worth to the new leadership in Washington, she is likely to worry that such steps by the EU will encourage the US to walk away. But Britain is leaving the union and can no longer block what the EU does in the future.

At the same time, the UK is the largest military power in Europe, and far outstrips its allies in some areas, such as signals intelligence.

Any EU military institution that did not include the UK would have a very limited capability. Other European countries, like Poland and Slovakia, also share the UK's view, and would prefer to focus on strengthening NATO.

The first test for Trump's credibility on the issue of European security will come over Ukraine, where fighting between Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government has escalated.

Many feared that Trump might reverse sanctions on Russia, without securing Moscow's compliance with a ceasefire agreement.

However, on Thursday, the US ambassador to the United Nation delivered a stinging, and surprising, rebuke of "Russia's aggressive actions." This will reassure European allies for now, but they will continue to watch how the White House deals with Russia in its first months, and its approach to military allies in Asia.

Speaking in Malta, French President Franois Hollande echoed Europe's fears. "We must have a European conception of our future. If not, there will be -- in my opinion -- no Europe and not necessarily any way for each of the countries to be able to exert an influence in the world."

Europe cannot be complacent about the Trump administration. But if European leaders push too quickly on defense cooperation outside NATO, they risk widening a rift with the region's largest military power, the UK, and encouraging those who believe that the European security order established after the Second World War is indeed over.

Europe is right to think about greater self-reliance in defense, but it should make every effort to work with those in Washington and in the Trump administration who understand the unique role of NATO.

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Can Europe still rely on NATO? - CNN

The map that shows how many Nato troops are deployed along Russia’s border – The Independent

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Thousands of Nato troops have amassed close to the border with Russia as part of the largest build-up of Western troops neighbouring Moscows sphere of influence since the Cold War.

The Baltic states, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria are hosting soldiers from across Natos 28 member states, with more than 7,000 troops deployed in countries bordering Russia.

The UK is the lead nation in Estonia, where 800 soldiers are based at the Tapa base, about 50 miles from Tallinn, helped by French and Danish forces.

British soldiers are also deployed in Poland as part of a US-led Nato mission numbering some 4,000 troops, which is supported by the Romanian army.

Poland's leaders hold ceremony to welcome US troops as part of Nato build-up

In Latvia and Lithuania, around 1,200 troops from Canada and Germany (respectively) are deployed alongside forces from across Europe.

Tanks and heavy armoured vehicles, plus Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin howitzers, are also in situ and British Typhoon jets from RAF Conningsby will be deployed to Romania this summer to contribute to Natos Southern Air Policing mission.

This map, produced for The Independent by Statista, illustrates the scale of Nato's military build-up in Eastern Europe.

In the far north of the continent, more than 300 US marines are also on rotation in Norway, which shares a border with Russia inside the Arctic Circle.

Kremlin officials claim the build-up is the largest since the Second World War.

The extensive troop deployment comes as defence budgets in the Baltic States continue to rise.

Combined, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania spent little more than 900 million Us dollars on defence in 2005.

Fast forward to 2019 and that figure will have more than doubled to a little over two billion dollars.

Chart showing defence budgets rising in the Baltic States (Statista)

According to research by the US-based think tank Heritage Foundation, between 1950 and 2000 on average 22 per cent of all US troops were stationed on foreign soil.

The low point for US soldier deployments abroad came in 1995 as East-West tensions began to subside, with just 13 per cent of Americas armed forces serving abroad.

Now, Russia believes the US and its Nato partners are expanding.

The US is also increasing its presence in the Black Sea and in Western Europe at bases in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Tensions between Russia and the West have been heightened since the annexation of Crimea and the war in Syria, which put Washington and Moscow on opposing sides.

Russia blames the West for worsening relations and says the build-up of Nato troops in the Baltics is a provocation.

Moscow has criticised recent deployments as truly aggressive.

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The map that shows how many Nato troops are deployed along Russia's border - The Independent

Sajjan meets with Mattis as Trump warns NATO members must step up defence spending – The Globe and Mail

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis broke bread with his Canadian counterpart at the Pentagon on Monday, as President Donald Trump warned that countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must pay their fair share of the alliances costs.

The tte--tte between Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Mr. Mattis the first in-person meeting between members of the Trump and Trudeau cabinets took place mere hours after Mr. Trump told American troops that he would make his countrys allies pony up more to cover defence costs.

Canada currently spends about 1 per cent of GDP on defence, half of what NATO asks for.

Its been very unfair to us. We strongly support NATO, we only ask that all of the NATO members make their full and proper financial contributions to the NATO alliance, which many of them have not been doing, Mr. Trump said at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. Many of them have not even been close. And they have to do that.

Despite this tension, Mr. Mattis and Mr. Sajjan put on a chummy show for the cameras as they greeted each other in a white-walled, blue-carpeted meeting room on the third floor of the Pentagon.

Mr. Mattis, a retired four-star general who led U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, praised Mr. Sajjans service as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan. Then he cracked a joke about dont ask, dont tell, the U.S. militarys former policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly.

The Princess Patricias Light Infantry were the first troops that came in to reinforce us at Kandahar, and they were a welcome sight, he said. There was dont ask, dont tell in those days, but I was hugging and kissing every one of your guys coming out of the plane.

Mr. Sajjan responded that Canada and the United States have a relationship forged on the battlefield together.

The pair, each with a six-person entourage, sat on opposite sides of a conference table for a 45-minute formal meeting, followed by dinner.

Mr. Sajjan refused to answer questions about the meeting.

In a written statement issued by his office, the minister dodged the matter of Canadas NATO spending, saying only that he discussed Canadas willingness to lead troops in Eastern Europe. The alliance has been building up its presence in Ukraine and the surrounding countries in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putins expansionist designs in the region.

Secretary Mattis and I discussed multilateral issues, including our pledges to lead battle groups in support of NATOs enhanced forward presence in Eastern Europe, the statement read.

His spokeswoman played down the question of NATO spending. In an e-mail, Jordan Owens wrote there was a brief discussion about defence investments and the need to continue to invest at the meeting.

Mr. Sajjans statement said the two also discussed Canadas training missions in Ukraine and Iraq, and that Mr. Sajjan emphasized the importance of NORAD, the bilateral system for protecting the continents airspace.

The statement also avoided any reference to Canadas long-deferred decision on sending peacekeepers to Mali. Ottawa committed last summer to deploy 600 more peacekeepers around the world, and the United Nations has signalled it would like Canada to send troops to Mali, where more than 100 peacekeepers have been killed since 2013 trying to contain an Islamist insurgency.

But Canada has refused to make a decision, choosing to wait until Mr. Sajjan can find out what the new administration in Washington wants of Canada militarily.

Sources told The Canadian Press last week that, because of Ottawas vacillation, Canada lost its chance to command the Mali mission.

Ms. Owens said Monday the decision on peacekeeping deployments would be made by the entire government, not solely Mr. Sajjan, but confirmed Canada wants to know more about the U.S. plans before making a decision. It was unclear whether this decision was any closer to being made as a result of Mondays meeting.

She said the tone of the meeting was positive, and Mr. Mattiss staff even brought out a cake at the end to celebrate Canadas 150th birthday.

Follow Adrian Morrow on Twitter: @adrianmorrow

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Sajjan meets with Mattis as Trump warns NATO members must step up defence spending - The Globe and Mail

Head of NSA to brief senators on cyber threats – The Hill

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Senators on the Armed Services Committee will be briefed by a top intelligence official on cyber threats Tuesday morning.

The hearing, which will beclosedto the public, will feature testimony from Adm. Michael Rogers, who holds the dual-leadership role at U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency (NSA).

The closed-door briefing will give lawmakers an opportunity to press Rogers on the intelligence communitys recent findings about Russias cyber attacks aimed at the U.S. presidential election.

The committee last received testimony from Rogers and other intelligence officials on foreign cyber threats to the United States in January, ahead of the intelligence communitys release of a report on Russias meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

The CIA, FBI and NSA concluded in theinvestigationthat Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cyber and disinformation campaign to undermine the U.S. democratic process, harm Hillary Clintons electability and aid now-President Donald TrumpDonald TrumpWH list of terror attacks misspells San Bernardino Trump: Mexico needs help on drug cartels WH lists terror attacks it claims media ignored MORE.

The Pentagon and other government agencies have been challenged to secure computer systems and infrastructure as cyber threats from nation states and other hostile actors have increased.

Trump waspoisedto sign an executive action overhauling cybersecurity across the government last week, though it was ultimately postponed.

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Head of NSA to brief senators on cyber threats - The Hill

Former NSA contractor may have stolen 75% of TAO’s elite hacking tools – Ars Technica

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

On Monday, The Washington Post reported one of the most stunning breaches of security ever. A former NSA contractor, the paper said, stole more than 50 terabytes of highly sensitive data. According to one source, that includes more than 75 percent of the hacking tools belonging to the Tailored Access Operations. TAO is an elite hacking unit that develops and deploys some of the world's most sophisticated software exploits.

Investigators have floated several theories. One holds that Martin directly provided the tools to the person or group responsible for the leak. An alternate theory is that the leakers obtained the software by hacking Martin. As reported in October, Martin was charged with felony theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified material. Monday's Washington Post article says that prosecutors will likely file charges of "violating the Espionage Act by 'willfully' retaining information that relates to the national defense, including classified data such as NSA hacking tools and operational plans against 'a known enemy' of the United States."

An unnamed US official told the paper that Martin allegedly hoarded more than 75 percent of the TAO's library of hacking tools. It's hard to envision a scenario under which a theft of that much classified material by a single individual would be possible.

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Former NSA contractor may have stolen 75% of TAO's elite hacking tools - Ars Technica

NSA deputy director resigning this spring – Politico

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Richard Ledgett became deputy director in 2014 after spending a year leading the investigation of Edward Snowdens surveillance leaks. | AP Photo

By Eric Geller

02/03/17 06:27 PM EST

Updated 02/04/17 11:34 AM EST

The No. 2 official at the NSA will soon leave his post, the agency confirmed today.

NSA Deputy Director Richard Ledgett has announced his plans to retire in the spring, an NSA spokesman told POLITICO.

Story Continued Below

It has been anticipated years of service to the nation, spokesman Michael Halbig said in an email.

The agency did not explain the timing of Ledgett's decision, including whether it is related to the advent of the Trump administration.

George Barnes will replace Ledgett, according to several people familiar with the decision. Barnes has worked in several capacities at the the NSA, including as director of Workforce and Support Activities.

Ledgett became deputy director in 2014 after spending a year leading the investigation of Edward Snowdens surveillance leaks. Prior to that, he headed the agencys Threat Operations Center from 2012 to 2013.

Ledgett joined the NSA in 1988.

April Doss, who served as associate general counsel for intelligence law at the NSA from 2003 to 2016, said Ledgetts departure would be keenly felt at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., and throughout Washington.

I am surprised to hear that hes stepping down, she said. Its going to be a huge loss for the intelligence community.

After Snowdens leaks sent the NSA scrambling to respond, Ledgett became one of the public faces of its public-relations operation.

He granted a rare interview to CBSs 60 Minutes to discuss the secretive agencys mission and even appeared remotely at a TED conference a few days after Snowden did the same.

Susan Hennessey, a former NSA attorney, "it's hard to know what to make" of Ledgett's departure.

"Certainly, Ledgett has been a sort of 'canary in the coal mine' for people concerned about NSA under [President] Donald Trump," she told POLITICO in an email. "He is universally recognized as someone who has served with a great deal of integrity. So the fact that he was the deputy director was some reassurance; nothing bad was going to happen on his watch."

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NSA deputy director resigning this spring - Politico

NSA’s No. 2, its top civilian, will retire shortly – FedScoop

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Richard Ledgett, deputy director of the National Security Agency, has announced he will retire this spring, the agency confirmed to CyberScoop Friday.

Ledgett, 59, has been deputy director the agencys top civilian since January 2014, when he succeeded Chris Inglis. Prior to that, according to his official biography,He led the NSA Media Leaks Task Force responsible for integrating and overseeing the totality of NSAs efforts surrounding the Ed Snowden megaleaks.

Ledgett joined the NSAin 1988 and and rose to be, during 2012-13, director of the agencysThreat Operations Center, the famed NTOC. Before that, he served a a stint 2010-12 in various posts in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including being the the first national intelligence manager for cyber.

He is a recipient of the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal and was for a time an instructor andand course developer at the National Cryptologic School.

It has been anticipated that he would retire in 2017 and he decided the time is right this spring after nearly 40 years of service to the nation, the agency said in an emailed statement.

Last year, Ledgett presented a gloomy picture of the connected future, warning about the dangers of the Internet of Things. Hetoldthe U.S. Chamber of Commerces 5th Annual Cybersecurity Summit that theconnection to our networks of hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, ofinternet-connecteddevices that come from multiple vendors and havediffering software and hardware upgrade paths without a coherent security plan means that there are vulnerabilities[created]in those networks.

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NSA's No. 2, its top civilian, will retire shortly - FedScoop

WATCH: The real beautiful mind belongs to Bill Binney, NSA whistleblower and metadata czar – Salon

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

When Bill Binney, former NSA analyst and head of the anti-terror ThinThread metadata program sits in front of you and says he is not afraid of the government, you have to admire him. A wheel-chair-bound U.S. serviceman who rose in the ranks of intelligence to work in top-secret NSA programs, Binney created ThinThread prior to September 11, 2001, and says it mathematically broke down all phone communications anywhere in the world without any infringement on Constitutional rights. Identities were protected, except in suspected terrorism cases, and the program was self-running. More important, it worked.

In A Good American, the new documentary from executive producer Oliver Stone and director Friedrich Moser, audiences are taken on a tense and frightening ride through Binney and his colleagues experience developing and deploying ThinThread in tests, only to see its funding pulled just weeks before 9/11 in favor of an expensive and ineffective but job-creating program called TrailBlazer, which the NSA preferred. Binney contends that ThinThread would have identified the terrorists who planned and executed the 9/11 terror attacks, thereby preventing them from occurring. Understandably, he remains disappointed and angry about this, all these years later.

The docu-thriller is a candid portrait of how exploding information in the digital age found government agencies both behind the technology of terrorism and struggling to keep current. When Binney and his small team developed ThinThread, it was an effort to help the NSA be attentive to the code-breaking needs of the modern era. ThinThread represented a home run for intelligence: Itwas highly effective at sorting data and protecting privacy, two huge challenges of working with large amounts of small bits of information. But when ThinThreads plug was pulled, Binney and his team challenged their NSA bosses, and in the process found themselves at odds with the U.S. government and in a complex web of lies and corruption. Thus, when Binney said he remains unafraid of possible repercussions or retaliation tied to the films thesis, its not hard to believe. What else can they do to me? he asks. Theyve already tried everything to stop me.

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WATCH: The real beautiful mind belongs to Bill Binney, NSA whistleblower and metadata czar - Salon

When the NSA Thought Mind Control Would Be an Actual Military Concern – Atlas Obscura

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

An illustration from a government document. DIA/Public Domain

A versionof this storyoriginally appearedonMuckrock.comandGlomar Disclosure.

Last week, we looked at the early days of the CIAs foray into extrasensory espionage. Today well be following up with the veterans of the NSAs psychic wars, which they foresaw being waged well into the 90s and beyond.

The NSA document, dated from early 1981, calls for a number of steps to be taken, including identifying the potential for mind control.

Once the individuals had been identified, the Agency wanted to create cadres of talented synergized gifted people for special problem solving tests. However, the NSA was afraid that these people could be hard to control Consciousless [sic] or morbid people of talent must be strictly screened out of active programs because of the danger of severe mental illness and unscrupulous violation of security.

Beyond personnel available to the NSA, the Agency wanted to build a database of psychics around the world.

Additional NSA documents, produced by the government later in the year after MKULTRA had been shut down and all mind control programs had been disavowed, show the governments continued interest in researching mind control techniques, no matter how esoteric they seemed.

A number of predictions were made about the development of psychic warfare, including that subconscious mind control through telepathy would be possible by 1990. The report concluded grimly that there is no known countermeasure to prevent such applications.

At least one prediction came true - CREST documents show psychic trials still being performed as late as 1992.

The rest of the NSAs guidelines can be read here.

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When the NSA Thought Mind Control Would Be an Actual Military Concern - Atlas Obscura

NSA’s No. 2, its top civilian, will retire shortly – Cyberscoop – CyberScoop

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Richard Ledgett, deputy director of the National Security Agency, has announced he will retire this spring, the agency confirmed to CyberScoop Friday.

He is a recipient of the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal and was for a time an instructor andand course developer at the National Cryptologic School.

It has been anticipated that he would retire in 2017 and he decided the time is right this spring after nearly 40 years of service to the nation, the agency said in an emailed statement.

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NSA's No. 2, its top civilian, will retire shortly - Cyberscoop - CyberScoop

Blog – Lifeboat Foundation (blog)

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Wow hope that folks at Apple, Samsung, Motorola, etc. see this.

In response to an incident that lacked any relation to the last fingerprint-related news, a Minnesota court ruled against a recent Fifth Amendment appeal regarding device passwords. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that ordering an individual to unlock a device with a fingerprint is no more testimonial than furnishing a blood sample, providing handwriting or voice exemplars, standing in a lineup, or wearing particular clothing.

The case in question involved Matthew Vaughn Diamond, a man Carver County District Court found guilty in 2015 of burglary and theft, among other crimes. Other news outlets cite arrest records from far before 2015, but the records showed no relevance to the January 2017 ruling. The Carver County District Court fought Diamond over his phones contentshe locked the phone with a fingerprint and refused to unlock the phone for the court. He argued, initially, that forcing his fingerprint violated both his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. However, the Minnesota Court of Appeals heard only the Fifth Amendment appeal.

According to the Fifth Amendment, compelled self-incrimination is a violation of human rights. The Supreme Court has held that a witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be innocent of any wrongdoing. The privilege serves to protect the innocent who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances. Additionally, the right to remain silent from the Miranda Rights, read to an arrestee at the time of arrest, granted a suspect the ability to refuse questions. Additionally, at the minimum, gave suspects the right to avoid answering questions legally and without fear of immediate repercussions.

Blog - Lifeboat Foundation (blog)

Was That Search Illegal? Sometimes, Neil Gorsuch Ruled It Was – New York Times

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

National Review

Was That Search Illegal? Sometimes, Neil Gorsuch Ruled It Was
New York Times
Although Judge Gorsuch has a decidedly conservative record on the bench, by at least one measure his view of the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches he has been relatively moderate, according to legal scholars and a ...
Trump's Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch has a solid record of defending the Fourth AmendmentRare.us
Neil Gorsuch should be hailed by privacy advocatesAmerican Thinker (blog)
Trump Nominates Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme CourtReason (blog)
Slate Magazine -The Atlantic -National Review -SCOTUSblog
all 8,475 news articles »

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Was That Search Illegal? Sometimes, Neil Gorsuch Ruled It Was - New York Times

Neil Gorsuch — Second Amendment Would Be Safe with Him on …

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Trumps nomination of federal judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court has been greeted with much glee by conservatives and a well-anticipated gnashing of teeth by the progressive Left. Naturally, those of us in the gun community have our own particularized questions about what a Justice Gorsuch might mean for the Second Amendment. Lets take a look, shall we?

A look at Judge Gorsuchs generalized judicial philosophy is certainly encouraging. Given that it was Scalia who led the proSecond Amendment decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and MacDonald v. Chicago, and that Gorsuch has been described not inaccurately as Scalia 2.0, we may reasonably hope that Gorsuch will bring a Scalia-like originalist and textualist approach to Second Amendment jurisprudence.

Judge Gorsuchs actual record on the Second Amendment is rather sparse, however. He has not been involved in first-principle cases such as Heller and MacDonald, so his decisions have nothing as explicitly affirming. It is worth asking, then, whether any of his decisions could suggest he would approach the Second Amendment in a negative manner.

Having spent decades fighting antiSecond Amendment legislation and jurisprudence, the gun community is sensitive to any suggestion, however slight, that a Supreme Court nominee might be predisposed against their views. The result is sometimes a tendency to object prematurely and cry wolf.

Some in the gun community seem to be leaning in this direction because of a case in Judge Gorsuchs recent past: U.S. v. Rodriguez, 739 F.3d 481 (10th Ct. App. 2013). In my view, however, this 30 opinion (which Gorsuch did not write, but in which he concurred) is entirely consistent with a robust reading of the Second Amendment. Rodriguez is perhaps best described as a Fourth Amendment case (right against unreasonable search) with Second Amendment overtones, much like the recent Robinson decision out of the Fourth Circuit.

In both cases, the police lawfully that is, with reasonable suspicion that a crime was being committed stopped an armed person and disarmed him during the stop for purposes of safety. In both cases the person stopped was found to be in unlawful possession of a gun and was ultimately arrested.

In Rodriguez, the Court of Appeals unanimously, with Judge Gorsuch concurring, found the police seizure of the stopped persons gun for purposes of safety to have been lawful under the Fourth Amendment, and not an infringement of the Second Amendment.

Some in the gun community have characterized Rodriguez and Robinson as holding that a person who exercises his Second Amendment rights is now required to sacrifice his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search. I disagree with that view. While we must always be vigilant against substantive infringement of our Second Amendment rights and we know that those intent on such infringement will never cease their attacks we also need to acknowledge that all constitutional rights are subject to reasonable limitation, particularly when that reasonable limitation is transient.

The Fourth Amendment, for example, does not protect us from all government searches it protects us from unreasonable government searches. Similarly, the Second Amendment does not provide an absolute right to keep and bear arms under any circumstance.

Most in the gun community, for example, would agree that violent felons and the mentally deranged should be denied the right to arms and that doing so does not infringe the Second Amendment. Even in the context of law-abiding gun owners, few would consider a prohibition against carrying a gun into the Oval Office when meeting with President Trump to be an infringement of the Second Amendment, so long as our right to be armed could be asserted immediately afterward.

The transient seizure of a gun in the course of a lawful police stopa seizure, that is, based on reasonable suspicion that a crime is underwayand under circumstances in which the police do not know whether the person stopped is armed lawfully is, in my view, not an infringement of the Second Amendment. Requiring the officer making a lawful stop to presume that the person stopped stopped on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity is law-abiding and is armed lawfully strikes me as unreasonable.

The rationale for such a transient taking the safety of the officer, his partners, the public, and even the person stopped is compelling and reasonable. Guns are, in fact, dangerous thats why those of us who concealed-carry them for personal protection do so in the first place: to make ourselves more dangerous to criminal predators.

As a strong Second Amendment advocate and someone who has concealed-carried a firearm for pretty much every day of my adult life (so, for most of the last 30 years), I find it difficult to get too worked up over a temporary seizure of my handgun during a lawful police stop so long as my gun is returned once the reasonable suspicion of criminal activity has been dispelled and the stop completed.

I, for one, welcome Judge Gorsuchs nomination to the Supreme Court, with great optimism for the Courts future Second Amendment jurisprudence.

Andrew F. Branca is an attorney and the author of The Law of Self Defense: The Indispensable Guide for the Armed Citizen.

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